'I'm continuing the campaign to rename Birmingham Airport after my hero Ozzy Osbourne - it would be unfair to the 80,000 supporters to stop now'

The petition captured the attention of thousands of metal fans and has now garnered the support of almost 80,000 people and raising £8,000 in donations. It has even been publicly endorsed by celebrities including Ozzy's wife Sharon Osbourne, his children Jack and Kelly and singer YungBlud.

However, the mission to capture the Aston-born legends legacy by renaming the site seemed hopeless after the airport 'ruled out' the rebrand towards the end of last year - but Dan has vowed he is not giving up as 'it just wouldn't be right.'

Speaking to the Express & Star about his plans for the campaign, Hudson said: "The airport were always going to say 'no' as an initial response, I think, if I put myself in their shoes. I think they just don't want to deal with it and said 'no' in the hopes it would go away. 

"But that's just not how it works - 80,000 people have signed this now and people have donated £8,000 to this petition. When the airport said 'no', I had people contacting me saying they were sorry the campaign didn't work - but I'm not stopping now. Thousands of people are backing this and I don't feel that its fair on them to just stop now."

Dan believes the decision to name the airport is the right thing to do and that their is precedent to do so following in the footsteps of Liverpool John Lennon Airport - arguing that people will still know where the airport is if its renamed. 

Ozzy, who was  born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, rose from humble beginnings in the city to become known worldwide as the “Prince of Darkness” and the “Godfather of Heavy Metal.”  

From his early years working odd jobs to forming Black Sabbath with school friend Geezer Butler, he helped create one of the most influential and successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide. 

Beyond his music, Osbourne became a cultural icon through his marriage to Sharon, whom he wed in 1982, and their MTV reality show The Osbournes, which introduced him to an entirely new generation of fans. 

Honoured both with his band and as a solo artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ozzy’s impact on music and popular culture is nothing short of legendary.

"Some people have made comments about how we should start one to rename the train station after his song 'Crazy Train' but there's no precedent for something like that," Dan added. 

"We have precedent for this because of other airports around the world being named after people - like Liverpool John Lennon Airport or JFK - and everyone still knows where those airports are.

"But many people outside the UK still just see the whole of the country as London - which is more annoying the further up north in the country you are. 

"I spend a lot of time in New York and not many people are familiar with Birmingham, England unless they're a metal fan because of Ozzy or they happen to have seen Peaky Blinders." 

The campaigner claimed to have plenty of plans for the campaign, which he could not yet share publicly, and confirmed he had spoken to Sharon Osbourne before Christmas and is looking forward to catching up soon. 

Representatives for Birmingham Airport previously said:  "As previously advised we now have permission from Ozzy Osbourne’s estate to create terminal artwork that will celebrate his heritage and the remarkable cultural impact he had on our region and beyond.

"We will be able to unveil this in Spring next year.  We will not be renaming the airport but taking this opportunity to commemorate Ozzy, and other legends from around the region, who make us all proud of the West Midlands and Birmingham.”

Birmingham Airport were contacted for further comment as the campaign continues, however, stated that their response is the same.